


But my love

by Hagar



Series: Life of Miriam [2]
Category: Jewish Scripture & Legend, Midrash - Fandom, תנ"ך | Tanakh
Genre: Book: Numbers, Brother-Sister Relationships, Collection: Purimgifts Day 2, Community: purimgifts, Gen, Kabbalah, Midrash, באר מרים | Well of Miriam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-16
Updated: 2014-03-16
Packaged: 2018-01-13 20:41:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1240123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hagar/pseuds/Hagar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>"And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again."</i> - Numbers 12:15</p>
            </blockquote>





	But my love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [opalmatrix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/opalmatrix/gifts).



> Title from Yona Wallach's poem, **איילה | Doe**. The Hebrew appears in the graphic below. You can find it set to music [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEDp45cIWGk). An English translation of the poem may be found at the end of this fic.

The Well stands at half the distance between camp and where Miriam’s tent is pitched for seven days. Each night after sunset Miriam walks down to the great rock, and picks up her food; and each morning before sunrise she does so as well, and lays her palm against the rock so that water may flow, for both the People and her.

She lays her palm against the rock and above that - her forehead, and her tears flow down to mingle with the water from the Well.

At half the distance between the People and the outcast tent, the great rock stands for seven days. Each evening before sunset a woman walks up to it, and lays down the food; and each morning after sunrise a row of women walk up, and draw water from Miriam’s Well.

Those women are Miriam’s daughters, their heads held high despite that their father had perished at the Massacre at the Mountain, one of those who had gone down on their knees before the calf made of gold. That woman is Moses’s own wife Tzipora, a bitter reminder of what it really was that Miriam had spoken up against, for which she had been cast out for seven days.

Tzipora needs not pick the sweetest dates for Miriam, but so she does.

Moses takes his portion and retires to his tent, and there he weeps.

On the eighth night, he walks out to the rock. Miriam meets him at her Well.

“How did we come to this?”  
“You are the Lord’s own Prophet, Brother.”  
“I did not ask for this, Sister.”  
“Neither did I.”  
“How did we come to this, Miriam?”  
“With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, Moses.”  
“What is wrong with this world, that the Measure of Judgment must be the only way?”  
“It is you who is the Lord’s Prophet, not I; You, and not Aaron.”  
“It is not like you, Miriam, this bitterness.”  
“Am I bitter? Would Aaron cry out, as you did when my skin turned white as snow?”  
“No, he would not; Would you stand by for seven days, and watch me weep alone?”  
“No, I would not; And so, though Prophets Aaron and I may be, it is only you who is the Prophet of the Lord.”  
“Oh, Miriam, how did we come to this? Is this the hand of Egypt, still heavy on our eyes?”  
“That is not for you or me to know, Brother, nor for my brother Aaron; For none of us will set foot across the river, in the Land that the Lord promised to the Ancestors.”

On the eighth night Moses returns with Miriam to the People’s camp, and the rock of Miriam’s Well rolls gently behind them as it does, as is its way. On the eighth morning Miriam walks up to the Well where it stands in the middle of the camp, as it does, and lays her palm against it, as is her way; and above her palm she lays her forehead, and her bitter tears flow down, and mingle with the fresh sweet water.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Doe/Yona Wallach
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Secret among the rocks  
> A doe drinks water  
> What of me and her  
> But the rocks of my heart  
> But the spring of my life  
> But secret
> 
> A doe  
> What of me and her  
> But my love


End file.
